Strawberry Tartlets, a Wink to Spring
As promised in the Velvety Lemon Tart post, this week I’m also sharing the recipe for Strawberry Tartlets. The recipe for the crust is the same as the one for the lemon tart —no wonder, you’ll say, considering that I used the leftover dough from the lemon tart! However, because the strawberry tartlets will be smaller, the time in the oven will be reduced.
These tartlets are light and refreshing, and I, personally, never feel guilty eating them. I hope you do, too!
Here’s the recipe.
STRAWBERRY TARTLETS
Tartitas de Fresas
Ingredients:
For the Crust
2 cups flour
8 Tbs unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup icing sugar
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs iced water (if necessary)
For the Filling
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 Tbs water
Method:
For the crust
In a large bowl, sift flour, icing sugar and salt. Add the butter. Using your fingertips, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly.
Make a well in the center and add the egg yolks. Incorporate with your fingertips until a dough forms (if necessary, add 1 or 2 Tbs of iced water).
On a floured work surface, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the rolled out dough into as many rounds as it allows, about 1 inch in diameter larger than the bottom of the tart tins. Ease the dough rounds into the tart tins (mine have a removable bottom). Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork, place them on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line the frozen tarts with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for about 18 minutes. Remove the weights and the parchment paper and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the edges become golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minimum of 2 hours before filling.
For the filling
Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
Slice the strawberries into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Spread 1 Tbs orange marmalade on each pie crust. Line the strawberry pieces onto each tartlet, overlapping slightly.
In a saucepan, bring the apricot preserves and water to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, 2-3 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl and discard the solids. With a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the strawberries.
Place the tartlets in the oven and bake for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
